MesVitrines NYC, Petrossian Cafe

Tea at Petrossian, original watercolor

Not many admit to 'doing windows', but that's exactly what Parisian Anne Conners does. Anne goes around NYC, analyzing, shooting the fashion windows for her blog, MesVitrinesNYC and for a French online fashion publication, Fashion- Addict

 Anne visited PB. After several blog visits back and forth we agreed to meet for tea. I suggested Petrossian Boutique, one of New York's Frenchiest cafs - 911 7th Avenue. We did not get Petrossian's caviar proudly displayed in the windows - it's sitting on faux diamonds not ice.Nor did I buy these lovely Petrossian cups for a still life. Quelle triste. Instead we go to their tiny tea salon and get tea for two. The staff sends us down to the front window to pick out desserts. Anne chose the gateau coulant au chocolat right.Miam miam! I'm passionate for anything passion fruit since gobbling Pierre Herme's divine passion fruit macarons so I get the passion tarte on the right.Competing desserts - an apple tarte.

A black berry thing.

Anne, ever the discerning Parisien, inspects her dessert.

Ah ha! Success!
Anne is happy.

She explains what a 'coulant' is with sloopy hand gestures.
I guess wildly - a ski slope? a hill? a valley?
Getting nowhere fast.

I found out today a gateau coulant au chocolat means MOLTEN CHOCOLATE!
You can find a nice recipe for it at La Tartines

The 'demise' of our desserts.

Anne, in true French fashion leaves 1/2 uneaten on her plate. I as usual leave my crust and scoop out the tart's innards...hmmm

Anne said when her Parisien friends come to NYC, they HAVE to go to Magnolia Bakery! They're just as in love with Cary and Sex in The City as we are. *Please visit Anne Corrons' blog, MesVitrines NYC  to see how Anne makes NYC windows look like Paris windows. You'll never get lost in translation at chez Anne.

ParisBreakfast is 2

Bluebird Tea, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

I wanted to give you all a present today...to thank you.

Three Macaron Boxes, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

I'm late posting. Just 12 hours or so... Five Macaron Boxes, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

Today is Paris Breakfast's 2nd birthday!
We are 2. YAHOOWe want to thank you for stopping by.
Gerard Mulot Macarons, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

So lots of nicely tied up presents for you full of Paris macarons!

It took so long today to get this post together, I wolfed down some of the Parisien macarons I was saving for still lifes in the fridg. A one-month old macaron leaves a lot to be desired. Live and learn. Anyway if you've been lurking and wanting to say HELLO please do

And if you'd like to learn how to make your own French macarons, please check out Tartelette's recipe in Desserts Magazine . Paris Breakfast got to do the cover.

THANK YOU!

Tiny Spring

Spring Bluebird, original watercolor

Wednesday I paid a visit to Tiny Doll House . I was looking for a nice bottle of Champagne...

Instead I found this adorable and VERY tiny bluebird!Champagne Tastes, original watercolor, 9" x 11"

The little china angel I bought in Paris has Champagne tastes.

Not on THE EURO DIET it seems...

Can you believe you trapse all the way over to Paris and you CAN NOT find a decent (miniature) bottle of Champagne! I got this from Rement Queen in LA. This miniature bottle I found on Ebay from Singapore!
And it came with only ONE glass! What's up with that?Meanwhile back at Tiny Doll House on 314 East 78th Street, they had plenty of summer iced tea, but the only Champagne bottle came attached permanently to a tray with 2 glasses. NG = no good They certainly were ready for spring with lots of tulip pots...And Smith & Hawkins garden accessories aplenty.Who wouldn't want this divine yellow rattan porch set?
Does the sun dial thingie come digital?Ah ha! A guard-en dog to be reckoned with. I did not dare set one foot on his closely guarded gazebo. No way.

Well are you ready to do your Spring plantings this weekend?

Come on out. The weather's wonderful in New York today.It's supposed to go into the 80's

Spring Play

Yesterday was a simply gorgeous day in New York. A real SPRING day.

The kind of day where you want to go out and play just like this funky band in Central Park is playing to the girl in the very French scarf.
PLAY BALL!
Where are the slides for grownups?
Where is our grownup sandbox?
The New York Times had an article on the importance of Taking Play Seriously By Robin Marantz Henig, particularly how play effects the developing child. But also how important play is for the adult. Play creates "one who believes in possiblilities - an optimist, a creative thinker, a person who has a sense of power and control."

This dog is showing great control as he waits to go play while his mistress gets a suntan...ahem

Snacks are play food aren't they? That hot dog's calories don't count! It's all imaginary.

These people are too busy to look in Bergdorf's playful windows - quelle triste.

Now this is playing - walzing along 5th Avenue on 57th Street - care free!

Here too in front of the Plaza Hotel - just enjoying the breeze...

Oooops! Rushing New Yorkers take no notice of the New York Public Library's lovely tulips.

Down in Union Square Farmers Market you can't neglect the tulips!

Nor the busy flower seller...

"Spring Cookies" in the Farmers Market.

So many playful shapes - butterflies, frogs, tulips, but I wish they were macarons...

Don't forget this Sunday is Earth Day in Central Park

Come out and play!

Thinking Heads

This last trip I was influenced by something cafe artist Rick Tulka said in his video - how fascinated he was by the French face.

And the French nose, which he compared to a Pontiac!

I hadn't noticed. I mainly go looking for things. I'd forgotten to look at the French face. This time I was going to record all the French faces I could...in posters of course, since you can't walk up to people and shoot in their faces! Here was the first French face I saw.

Isn't this a very FRENCH face!
VERY, VERY FRENCH!
Here poetic licence is taken with a bit of stretching...
Ah the romantique French face...gotta love it!

This cool cat looks alot like the romantique guy...

Kristin Scott Thomas - not French but she surely looks French here and she does live in France.

Pensive...

Can you tell me who this French woman is? In the Tuilleries Metro station?
I forgot. Also pensive...

Of course President Sarko turns up everywhere...

French heads buried in wine corks in a wine shop window...

A French kid in the Metro

Notice no smiling faces, no blue eyes, no blonde hair.

None of your average pretty formulaic faces we're so boringly fed in US posters. No faces that make you think "I should look like that!" Well not many...
Thinking heads in fact, not just faces.

Here's your average French kid on a notebook about to do something naughty...

Lots of surreal faces in Paris... Yesterday I had tea with French blogger Anne Corrons of MesVitrines NYC . She said sometimes she's surprised that I show things besides Paris pastries. I'm always looking for visual patterns and trends in Paris. Some of them I just make up, like looking for French faces...

Take Adrien Brody and put him in a French Metro and he looks decidedly French doesn't he?